I joined the block party today-- about time! This month must have five days in it. Where did it go? Second time using my Akorn.

Porterhouse steaks and smoked potatoes, and a salad to look good. Smoked some beans this afternoon - using the Best Baked Beans on the Planet recipe which I follow for the most part. Got them done, then put in my "platesetter" and smoked the potatoes, first time so wasn't sure when they were done. They didn't get done in the time I allotted (I forgot when I put them on), so let the heat climb a bit. They got done enough for me in about 11/4 hours, which SR states as time in his "How To Griil" book.

Took off the taters, took out the griddle i use as platesetter (no real reason, but I did), opened up dampers and let temp rise to 600F. Put on the steaks and dusted with Montreal Steak seasoning. Oh, I made sure the grill grates were hot, lubricated, and clean. After a few minutes I turned the steaks 90 degrees. Then a bit later I turned them over and I could not have made better looking grill marks with a ruler and t-square! Dusted the top with the seasoning, then turned again. Came off maybe a bit too late, but still very good. Next time I should look for thicker steaks, these were not much over 1/2 inch, if that.

Actually, that was the first time grilling steaks I think. When I have time to grill, I either have money to get fuel or meat, not both! Now I need to figure out how much (or how little) charcoal to use in this grill. No pics, but it did happen!

Now I'll just drop by my final three offerings for the party here. First off, I'll try to sell a shank steak.

Here you can see how I seasoned it with ground sage and minced garlic.

To the pit

And let's get this plated with country style taters and mixed steamed greens

And the cross-sectional macro views

But wait... this ain't ready to serve and eat yet... the selling point here is the mushroom gravy. Mmmmm...

Next up is a T-bone. Too long since I've had one of these. I treated this one to a balsamic marinade, with coarse S & P, and rosemary. Got the mesquite smoke going as well.

That sure didn't take long. If you're wondering where my gill marks are, beats the devil out of me.

Of coarse, I wouldn't be me if I did not include my carne asada steak. So last up, here it is. This flap meat gets treated with carne asada seasoning, fresh squeezed orange, minced garlic, and accidental cilantro for marinade